Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in China
China: Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel was 63.25 million tonnes in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
63.25 million tonnes
Change on year
down 2.3%
World rank
2nd
of 181 countries
All-time high
76.54 million tonnes
in 2021
All-time low
1.12 million tonnes
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in China, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2023, cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in China stood at 63.25 million tonnes.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.3% on the previous year and up 100.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in China peaked at 76.54 million tonnes in 2021 and was at its lowest, 1.12 million tonnes, in 1961.
That places China 2nd out of 181 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in China, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.12 million tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 1.20 million tonnes | +7.6% |
| 1963 | 1.79 million tonnes | +48.9% |
| 1964 | 1.89 million tonnes | +5.8% |
| 1965 | 10.22 million tonnes | +439.5% |
| 1966 | 2.28 million tonnes | -77.7% |
| 1967 | 2.13 million tonnes | -6.4% |
| 1968 | 1.82 million tonnes | -14.9% |
| 1969 | 1.67 million tonnes | -7.9% |
| 1970 | 1.40 million tonnes | -16.4% |
| 1971 | 1.59 million tonnes | +14.2% |
| 1972 | 1.87 million tonnes | +17.2% |
| 1973 | 1.81 million tonnes | -3.0% |
| 1974 | 2.04 million tonnes | +12.6% |
| 1975 | 1.89 million tonnes | -7.3% |
| 1976 | 1.91 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 1977 | 2.08 million tonnes | +9.2% |
| 1978 | 2.40 million tonnes | +15.3% |
| 1979 | 2.61 million tonnes | +8.9% |
| 1980 | 2.56 million tonnes | -1.9% |
| 1981 | 2.80 million tonnes | +9.2% |
| 1982 | 3.46 million tonnes | +23.7% |
| 1983 | 4.44 million tonnes | +28.2% |
| 1984 | 4.30 million tonnes | -3.0% |
| 1985 | 4.39 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 1986 | 2.30 million tonnes | -47.7% |
| 1987 | 12.05 million tonnes | +425.0% |
| 1988 | 12.22 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 1989 | 14.28 million tonnes | +16.9% |
| 1990 | 17.48 million tonnes | +22.4% |
| 1991 | 14.20 million tonnes | -18.8% |
| 1992 | 7.15 million tonnes | -49.6% |
| 1993 | 5.33 million tonnes | -25.5% |
| 1994 | 2.60 million tonnes | -51.2% |
| 1995 | 12.56 million tonnes | +383.3% |
| 1996 | 17.56 million tonnes | +39.8% |
| 1997 | 9.88 million tonnes | -43.7% |
| 1998 | 10.56 million tonnes | +6.8% |
| 1999 | 11.09 million tonnes | +5.0% |
| 2000 | 12.32 million tonnes | +11.1% |
| 2001 | 14.80 million tonnes | +20.1% |
| 2002 | 16.87 million tonnes | +14.0% |
| 2003 | 17.45 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 2004 | 22.60 million tonnes | +29.5% |
| 2005 | 23.57 million tonnes | +4.3% |
| 2006 | 27.77 million tonnes | +17.8% |
| 2007 | 29.50 million tonnes | +6.2% |
| 2008 | 31.11 million tonnes | +5.5% |
| 2009 | 32.59 million tonnes | +4.8% |
| 2010 | 30.89 million tonnes | -5.2% |
| 2011 | 30.43 million tonnes | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 32.86 million tonnes | +8.0% |
| 2013 | 31.48 million tonnes | -4.2% |
| 2014 | 26.52 million tonnes | -15.7% |
| 2015 | 48.06 million tonnes | +81.2% |
| 2016 | 54.99 million tonnes | +14.4% |
| 2017 | 53.25 million tonnes | -3.2% |
| 2018 | 56.11 million tonnes | +5.4% |
| 2019 | 59.06 million tonnes | +5.3% |
| 2020 | 51.47 million tonnes | -12.8% |
| 2021 | 76.54 million tonnes | +48.7% |
| 2022 | 64.72 million tonnes | -15.4% |
| 2023 | 63.25 million tonnes | -2.3% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 63.25 million tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 11,000 tonnes, 5750.0× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- China's 63.25 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 10,000 tonnes, 6325.0× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in China changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | +439.5% | 1.89 million tonnes | 10.22 million tonnes |
| 1987 | +425.0% | 2.30 million tonnes | 12.05 million tonnes |
| 1995 | +383.3% | 2.60 million tonnes | 12.56 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.68 million tonnes | 1.12 million tonnes | 10.22 million tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.96 million tonnes | 1.40 million tonnes | 2.61 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.28 million tonnes | 2.30 million tonnes | 14.28 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 10.84 million tonnes | 2.60 million tonnes | 17.56 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.86 million tonnes | 12.32 million tonnes | 32.59 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 42.36 million tonnes | 26.52 million tonnes | 59.06 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 63.99 million tonnes | 51.47 million tonnes | 76.54 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
More agriculture & rural data for China
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 1.98 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0666 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 923.03 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.48 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3366 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in China?
- Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel in China was 63.25 million tonnes in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 76.54 million tonnes in 2021.
- What is the lowest cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.12 million tonnes in 1961.
- How does China rank for cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel?
- China ranks 2nd out of 181 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 100.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Cereals allocated to food, animal feed and fuel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Quantity of cereal crops allocated to other uses (and not to human food or animal feed), predominantly industrial uses such as biofuel production.